Note: Citations are based on reference standards. However, formatting rules can vary widely between applications and fields of interest or study. The specific requirements or preferences of your reviewing publisher, classroom teacher, institution or organization should be applied.

The miraculous image in Renaissance Florence

In Renaissance Florence, certain paintings and sculptures of the Virgin Mary and Christ were believed to have extraordinary efficacy in activating potent sacred intercession. Cults sprung up around these "miraculous images" in the city and surrounding countryside beginning in the late 13th century. In The Miraculous Image in Renaissance Florence, Megan Holmes questions what distinguished these paintings and sculptures from other similar sacred images, looking closely at their material and formal properties, the process of enshrinement, and the foundation legends and miracles associated with specific images. Whereas some of the images presented in this fascinating book are well known, such as Bernardo Daddi's Madonna of Orsanmichele, many others have been little studied until now. Holmes's efforts center on the recovery and contextualization of these revered images, reintegrating them and their related cults into an art-historical account of the period. By challenging prevailing views and offering a reassessment of the Renaissance, this generously illustrated and comprehensive survey makes a significant contribution to the field. -- Book jacket.Read more...

Medieval Christian image cults and Florentine relic cults --
The chronological development of Florentine image cults --
The topography of the sacred in the city --
The Florentine contado and subject territories --
Image and efficacy --
The physiognomy, metaphors, and style of sacred embodiment --
Enshrinement: framing and veiling --
Image cults and the Florentine Renaissance.

Responsibility:

Megan Holmes.

Abstract:

In Renaissance Florence, certain paintings and sculptures of the Virgin Mary and Christ were believed to have extraordinary efficacy in activating potent sacred intercession. The author questions what distinguished these paintings and sculptures from other similar sacred images.Read more...

Reviews

Editorial reviews

Publisher Synopsis

"The Miraculous Image in Renaissance Florence...is the fruit of long, sustained and carefully considered research."-Richard Cork, Apollo -- Richard Cork Apollo "Megan Holmes's The Miraculous Image in Renaissance Florence explores this fascinating and hitherto neglected subject with admirable clarity and insight." -David Ekserdjian, The Spectator -- David Ekserdjian The Spectator Winner of the 2015 Charles Rufus Morey Book Award given by the College Art Association. -- Charles Rufus Morey Book Award College Art AssociationRead more...